Mamamia names our Woman Of The Year for 2017.

Mamamia is proud to announce that our inaugural Woman Of The Year award for 2017 goes to… Tracey Spicer.

It began with a tweet. Actually, it began with a story. Her story of surviving workplace bullying and sexual harassment during her career as a television journalist. Tracey Spicer shared her personal history earlier this year in her book, The Good Girl Stripped Bare, and again after dozens of women came out to accuse Hollywood film producer Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault and harassment.

Tracey sent out a simple tweet:

Currently, I am investigating two long-term offenders in our media industry. Please, contact me privately to tell your stories.

— Tracey Spicer (@TraceySpicer) October 17, 2017

And the floodgates opened. What followed was harrowing. For the women telling their stories to her – many for the first time – and for Tracey herself who became the receptacle for decades of anguish, pain, humiliation, shame, rage and trauma experienced by more than 1000 women who reached out to her.

In helping media organisations to tell the stories of these women, we owe Tracey a great debt. In opening up this debate in Australia and shepherding it forward, Tracey has changed the landscape for women in the workforce not just in this generation but for future generations.

The toll of this important work should not be underestimated. Which is why for the first time, we wanted to acknowledge Tracey’s incredible service to women, her work to make the world a better place for us and our sisters and daughters and friends. We wanted to, in some small, symbolic way say thank you.

Tracey Spicer, you’re a bloody awesome chick.

Listen: Mia Freedman speaks to Tracey on No Filter…